Mathis Nayral

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 150 lb.

• Born April 24, 2004

Biographical Information

Mathis Nayral has played in the French Division I and for the French national team.

Nayral made his French Division I debut in 2021, at age 17. He had a 2.13 ERA in six games (one start) for the Barracudas de Montpellier and hit .175/.283/.175. He pitched one shutout inning in the 2021 European Junior Championship and was 1 for 9 but drove in 5 runs; he had one triple, 3 walks, a steal, a run and two sac flies.

He was France's second-youngest player in the 2021 European Championship (Pierre Doat was a year younger) and their youngest to see action. The teenager acquitted himself well, allowing one run over 7 1/3 IP. In his debut in a senior-level competition, he relieved Franklin De La Rosa with a 8-0 deficit in the 7th against Silver Medal-bound Israel, one on and one out. He struck out Jordan Petrushka and Assaf Lowengart. In the 8th, he allowed an Itai Goldner single but whiffed David ibn Ezra then got Tal Erel to hit into a double play. Having faced the minimum, he was replaced by Esteban Prioul. He was a bright spot in a 10-0 loss. His next outing, he succeeded Gédéon Coste in the 6th with a 2-0 deficit, one on and no out versus Germany. He allowed a double to former Red Sox signee Marco Cardoso but escaped further harm. In the 7th, he allowed a run when Lou Helmig singled in Eric Brenk then he had a 1-2-3 8th for 1 run in 3 innings in a 3-2 loss. France wound up in the 15th/16th place game against Slovakia, in danger of being relegated to the B-Level Euros for the first time in decades. Skipper Keino Perez again turned to Nayral in that contest; he replaced Prioul in the 7th with a 4-3 deficit. He retired Matej Rudohradský, Michal Ešmír (on a K) and Adam Zacko then France tied it in the top of the 8th. In the bottom of the 8th, he gave up a hit to Matej Grendža-Donský but then picked him off in a crucial play. After striking out Martin Brunegraf, he allowed singles to Tomáš Biskorovájny and Mário Gottschall then intentionally walked Michal Noga but got out of the jam by whiffing Denis Pakši. In the bottom of the 9th, his defense let him down as Rudohradský reached on an error. Ešmír bunted over the pinch-runner then PH Martin Lukačka hit into another error, but the runner was thrown out at home. Robyn Clara then relieved. France survived the scare and won in 11 innings, Nayral having provided key relief. His 1.23 ERA for the Euros was second on France behind Nicolas Antoine and easily led their qualifiers (Owen Ozanich was next at 2.70). His 7 K were third on the team behind Ozanich and former minor leaguer José Paula.